Triumvirate
by Reigning Devil
Summary: Sunnydale needs help from LA to help face the first, but they don't know that the First has brought Angelus, William the Bloody and Carma, the Vampire Triumvirate through time to help him. Can Spike and Angel persuade their former selves to change sides.
1. Default Chapter

I know that Drusilla is Spike's sire but in this story it's Angelus. I'm probably going to mess up a bunch of other things as well. By the way if any one can tell me the dates of when Spike was turned and when Angel got turned then I would be really grateful because I'm not sure, and I want to make the flashback as accurate as I can. Angelus and Spike are probably going to be out of character but this is an idea that's been floating around in my head for ages and I just want to write it down, see what happens. This is an Angel/Spike/OC story, cause one of my friends always thought that sires would have romantic relationships with their childes, and I wanted to do a story like this for ages so, this is for her.   
Please enjoy.   
Flashback 

The sky was black and clouds pregnant with unshed rain hid the moon and stars. On the outskirts of an ominous black forest there stood a forbidding manor. Built in dark grey stone with rising turrets, from the front the manor's only visible entrance was a large, heavy, oak double door with a bronze doorknob carved in the shape of a lions head, a mouth open in mid-roar held a bronze ring. On ledges high above the ground gargoyles stood or crouched in various places, guarding off any approaching evil spirits, ironic when you considered who was inhabiting the castle.

The library was filled with mahogany bookshelves that filled the walls from floor to ceiling, except for the one wall that was mainly filled with a large window surrounded by green velvet curtains. The walls were covered in green velvet wallpaper and there was a dark green shag carpet in the centre of highly polished mahogany floor.

There were three armchairs gathered in around the roaring fire, two on one side and another on its own, all were occupied by vampires. Angelus was staring into the fire, thinking up some plan or other, occasionally sipping from a cut crystal glass filled with blood red wine. Dressed in a white silk shirt with a high collar and a black smoking jacket, he looked every inch the proper gentlemen.

William the bloody was sitting in the chair next to his sire, reading from a black leather bound book with gilt-edged pages. Dressed in a black shirt with an unbuttoned collar he looked the seductive vampire with his dark hair pulled into a low queue. One of his pale hands was draped over the edge of his chair and was being stroked absently by his sire.

Opposite them sat the female of their trio. Carma's raven hair fell in loose waves to her hips, ivory skin that could carry off the paleness of the corpse without looking too dead. Strange silver eyes were focussing on the paper in front of her, and occasionally looking up at her fellow vampires, then looking back down at the portrait forming on the paper. Dressed in a wide skirted midnight blue dress shot with silver threads she was breathtaking.

"How much longer?"

Her question broke the silence and the two men looked up as one, even though she was still studiously shading William's shirt they could sense the tension.

"It's a fortnight till we need to be in Paris. We meet up with the girls on Christmas day."

William's voice was quiet, subdued, depressed about the reunion even.

Quiet enveloped the room once more, until Angelus snapped and threw his wineglass into the fire, causing the flames to rise for a few seconds.

"Fuck!"

He leant his hand on the mantle piece and stared down into the flames. Neither of his childe approached him, knowing full well that it wasn't a very good idea when he was in this mood.

"Why the fuck do we do this. We are three of the most powerful vampires in history, we're the triumvirate for fucks sake, we could defeat the Master! We're definitely more powerful than those two, so why do we bloody do it?"

During his speech he turned around and threw a china figurine into a bookshelf, causing the fragments to pool on the ground. In the following silence Carma stood and moved behind her sire, wrapping her small arms around his chest and reaching upwards to gently kiss his cheek. In the meantime Spike had risen off his chair and stood pressed against Angelus's body, his arms wrapped around the older vampire and his fingers interlocked behind Carma's neck.

"We do this because we have to."

The side of her head was lying on Angelus's broad back.

"We are some of the most feared vampires in Europe, and a few of the other continents. Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, William the Bloody, Fatestriker, Darla and Drusilla. We're a family and we need them. At least for a while longer."

"She's right. The triumvirate bonds aren't fully set yet, and until they are we're a bit more vulnerable than we were. We need those girls."

Angelus let his head fall forwards, resting on Spike's.

"Let's go to bed."

With a coy note in her voice Carma separated herself from Angelus and took a hand of each of her lovers. Then she led them up the curving staircase, past a plain doorway that led to the wine cellar. Where three bodies had been deposited, the former owners of this mansion, killed by the vampire triumvirate.

End flashback

With a start Angel awoke from the dream, sitting bolt upright in his bed. Breathing hard he tried to remember what the dream had been about, but all he couldn't remember anything. Shaking his head in exhaustion he headed for a shower, resolving not to think about his strange dreams anymore, he had been having them for a few days now, and he still wasn't any clearer about what they meant. While in the shower he had the strange, but pleasant sensation of four hands running over his body, interrupting the flow of the water down his pale skin. But shakily he dismissed the idea and got dressed. There hadn't been any hands on him for a long time, especially not those.

Downstairs Cordelia and Wesley were arguing again.

"Cordelia, we should not tell him about this."

"You don't think this is something he'd want to know."

"I don't think it's something he should know."

"Maybe it's not your choice. You ever think of that"

Angel stopped and leaned on the banister, amused at the sight before him. Faith was sprawled over the couch, watching the scene between Cordelia and Wesley. Lorne was seated on the chair beside her, trying desperately not to laugh and interrupt them. Sniggering Faith glanced over at the stairs and saw him; she smirked nodding a head at the other two, and he replied in kind.

Clearing her throat several times Faith finally managed to get their attention.

"Don't you think it's a choice he should make?"

With a nod of her head Faith indicated the vampire on the stairs, as Wesley was facing in that direction he saw him first and panic flooded his face before he was sent into a chair by one of Cordelia's flailing arms as she spun round.

"Angel, thank God. Look, we got a phone call from Sunnydale and mhmph."

She was cut off as Wesley clapped a hand over her mouth. Doing his best to send an innocent smile in Angel's direction.

"It's nothing Angel, don't worry about it."

"Wesley. I've been listening to you for the last few minutes, arguing about whether I should or shouldn't know something. Now Faith's right, and I think I'd like to know what it is."

Although his voice was amused, his face was set. He didn't like secrets being kept from him.

With a muffled noise Cordelia got away from Wesley, straightened out her clothes and said bluntly.

"Willow called, the First Evil is in Sunnydale, they have an army of potential slayers, but they need help. Our help. I thought you should know, Wesley just thought we should say no."

Having finished her speech she poked her tongue out at Wesley and sat down on a chair.

"The First."

Everyone looked up at the tone of his voice, they had expected yelling at no being told about the phone call, brooding at the thought of having to go to Sunnydale. Not fear and overwhelming anger rolled into two words. Before they could say anything Angel had turned and stalked back up the stairs, throwing six words over his shoulder before slamming his door.

"Get packed. We're going to Sunnydale."

Flashback 

Three figures were running through the back streets of London. Angelus was in the lead, followed by Carma's dress was in rags having had to rip the petticoats from the skirt and shorten it to allow her to run, Spike was bringing up the rear. They leaped over a wall, reaching one of the main Paris roads, while Carma stayed in the shadows to avaoid drawing attention the two older vampires hijacked a passing carriage, and once she was ensconced inside they raced away.

They didn't stop for a few days and very little that wasn't related to travel plans was said in that time. They didn't feed, not wanting to leave a trail; they stole horses from inns along their route when the others were too exhausted to be of any use to them.

Finally they stopped in a small town and Angelus booked them a room in the local inn. Once they had all been cleaned up from the hard travelling and Carma had a new dress, they settled down to discuss future plans.

"What about Darla and Drusilla?"

"There's nothing we can do for them. My sire's strong, she'll get out of Paris just fine, and she won't leave Dru, she may hate her, but she's a member of her blood line, she won't let her die."

"What are we going to do? We can't stay in France."

"We'll go some where else."

"_Where, that thing'll just find us again. And we're bloody strong but not strong enough to fight that thing on our own."_

"_Romania. My father lived there for a few years, he used to tell me about it when I was a little girl."_

"_Romania it is. We'll need to find a route that gives us plenty of cover."_

"_We should head out soon. Put as much space between us and that thing as we can."_

"_call it by it's name boy. A name has no power unless you give it the power to scare you."_

"_But what was it. What could be that, black, cold."_

"_The First."_

_A few weeks later they were in Romania, and Angel had discovered a nice little Gypsy girl he planned on playing with for the duration of their stay._

_End flashback_

A few hours after Angel's statement he, Wesley, Cordelia, Lorne and Faith were on their way to Sunnydale, not a word was said. Angel's stony silence was talking enough for them all.

Please review this :)


	2. From the past

I own Carma, unfortunately that's all.

_In Sunnydale_

"What the bloody hell did you wanna call the poofter for?"

Spike was angry, pacing around his basement throwing his hands around, gesturing wildly as he told them the various reasons why bringing Angel here at this time was a very bad idea.

"Because we need his help…"

Willow was cut off as Spike began another rant on how they had 'a whole bloody army of wannabe slayers'. He was getting into the swing of it when Buffy spoke up for the first time.

"He's coming Spike, and he's bringing his team with him. Deal with it."

With that she turned and left, followed by Willow and Xander, leaving him alone in the dark, with only his memories and a feeling of dread for company.

Half an hour he was interrupted from his reminiscing by the sound of twenty plus teenage girls giggling hysterically, his vampire enhanced hearing could hear various mumbles:

"Oh my God, he is so cute."

"That one has to be the vampire."

"My Watcher told me he was involved with Buffy."

"I thought she was involved with Spike."

Growing tired he stormed up the stairs and threw the door open, effectively silencing the crowd before him.

The whole crowd was standing in front of the door, Buffy, Willow, Giles, Xander, Anya and Dawn on one side, all the potentials, along with Andrew on the other side of the door, Angel and his crew in the open doorway, and the blond vampire found himself face to face with Angel. The big jerk was dumbstruck; apparently he hadn't been expecting to see Spike quite so at home in the Summers residence.

"Hello all, I'll see ya later, got some business to take care of."

With a nod to Angel he strode past and out the door, leaving everyone confused.

"What just happened?"

Cordelia was the first to break the silence after Spike's dramatic entrance.

"I don't know. He went nuts when he found out Angel was coming here."

Dawn spoke up when no one else did, she was worried. She and Spike had gotten really close in the summer that Buffy had been gone, and she knew he hated Angel, but his reaction today when he had first been told that Angel was coming had been beyond that.

"I'm going to talk with him."

Ignoring Buffy's half completed sentences telling him not to bother Angel left the house and followed Spike's scent, leaving a group of confused people standing in the hall.

"Well, that didn't go like I expected."

Willow's comment was soft, now wanting to draw much attention to herself in the heavy silence. Cordelia however had no such inhibitions.

"I know, when we told him it was the First that you needed help with he got really mad, in an Angel way, obviously."

By that she meant that he was holding it all in, waiting to take it out on some poor unsuspecting demon, possibly Spike.

"Do you think they've met the First before? What?"

Dawn stared back at the looks directed at her, it was possible, and if they had been together and it had been a bad meeting it would explain their reactions to having to work with each other against it again.

Apparently the others were thinking the same thing, or something like it.

"They'll just have to sort it out between themselves, we have work to do."

With that Buffy herded the listening potentials outside for training, ignoring their numerous questions. The Scoobies and the A.I gang were left in the hall, those who had been around Buffy recently just sighed, the others, those who had known her previously, wondered when she had become so cold.

_With Spike and Angel_

Storming through Restfield Cemetery Spike muttered to himself, gesticulating wildly, he stopped in mid-rant however when what had to be the First shimmered into existence before him, wearing his body yet again.

"Spike, Spike, Spike."

"Wanker."

"It's been a long time Spike, since the three of us were together."

With a nod of his head Spike's doppelganger indicated something behind him. Turning, the vampire saw Angel stopped by a mausoleum, but when Spike noticed him he walked forwards.

"Wait, no I'm wrong aren't I, there were four of us."

With a malicious smirk the copy of Spike wavered and became a young girl, she seemed to be nineteen-years-old, long ebony hair fell to her hips, she had pale skin and silver eyes, her mouth was twisted into a smirk that was purely the First however, no matter what the three of theam had done Carma had never looked like that.

"Don't you remember me?"

He managed to put a heartfelt note into those words that reminded both men of the girl they had loved but left.

"Why did you leave me, wasn't I good enough?"

It was killing them, because they knew that if they ever met Carma again she would ask them that, although neither of them showed how much it hurt, but the thing before them knew. He would have continued play, but he had things to do.

"You know, you won't be able to stop me, you could only just hold me away when I found you again in Romania, and that was when there were three of you and the Triumvirate was at it's peak, but now, the Vampire Triumvirate is working for me.

You know, you're really much more fun to be around when none of you had souls."

With that he disappeared from their sight, leaving the two vampires extremely confused.

"What...?"

"What is wrong with you Spike, is it that hard for you to be civil. We have to work together to help defeat that ting, and how are we supposed to do that if you won't grow up."

Angel continued on in that manner for several more minutes before he noticed Spike wasn't listening, it wasn't just that, but he wasn't making any mocking faces either. Angel and Spike had hunted together for over a century, he knew the signs of his face better than he knew his own, something was wrong, something the First had said judging by the silence throughout his speech.

"What is it?"

"He brought us forwards."

"What!?"

"Can't you feel it, memories dimming, we're losing memories of the trip to Romania, he brought the Triumvirate forwards in time. He said it himself; the Vampire Triumvirate is working for him. I know there isn't another one and as the two of us are here it's the only explanation."

His voice had grown more impassioned and worried as he spoke, and although Angel didn't want to, when he recalled the First's parting sentences he realised that Spike was right.

"Oh shit."

It was probably the first thing they had agreed on for several decades.

"Willow!"

The door slammed open and a whirlwind disguised as two vampires stalked through, they went into the living room, grabbed Willow and then retreated to the basement. The loud bang of the closing door discouraged pursuit.

There had been no chance for anyone to speak, and the room that had been filled with potentials, Scoobies, the LA team, and Andrew was silent except for Andrew mumbling something about heroic vampires under his breath before Anya absentmindedly slapped him on the head. With a shake of her head Buffy went back to her lecture.

"Willow, we need your help. We need you to do a spell that will bring three vampires to us."

"Why?"

It was only one word but it embodied her confusion. She knew they hadn't gone evil again, and they weren't trying to kill each other, which was a good sign, but she had a feeling that there was a lot more behind this.

"The wanker here fucked up."

"What! Spike how is this my fault? Look never mind. Willow, it's a long story and I won't tell you all of it.

You all know about Darla and Dru, but there was another girl in our family, Carma, she was my childe, but Will, Carma and I were always closer that we was with Dru or Darla. In the 1800s Darla and Dru had gone off to Paris and were going to be gone for about nine months, while we were staying in a small town out in the country.

One night we were in the manor we were staying at and a sorceress shimmered into the library with us. She said some things that night that they piqued our curiosity.

Centuries ago there was a war and three Master vampires bonded together to form a Triumvirate. It didn't work as well as it could have, they were not connected by blood, but the three of us were. We were already more closely connected than many other Sires and their Childer, even Darla and myself. The witch had the power to connect us in a Triumvirate and she did, she said that there was a destiny we needed to fulfil that we cold only do if we were as powerful as the Triumvirate.

So we became the Vampire Triumvirate, we were feared even by Darla and Drusilla, although they didn't know who we were.

We met the First a few decades later in London. He was working through various people to find something, we never found out what, but he found out about the Triumvirate and he wanted us to work with him.

We wouldn't, there is absolutely no point in trying to kill every human, what would we eat, so we ran, straight to Romania where I was cursed.

The First has brought the newly formed Triumvirate through time to the Present, and somehow he has the past versions of us working for him.

You have to cast a spell to bring them to us Willow, or a bad situation will get much worse. And if they come here they could help our side of the fight."

Throughout Angel's story Willow's jaw had dropped further and further, she had read of the Vampire Triumvirate when she had been doing research, but she never considered that Angel or Spike could be a member.

But she remembered the stories about Angelus and William the Bloody, those two working for the third, with a third who she hadn't heard of could only be bad, but how hadn't she heard of this girl.

"What makes you think they'll want to come, they don't have souls right, so why would they help us."

"Leave that to us Red, you just worry about getting them here."

Spike was standing over in the corner smoking a cigarette; it was the first sound he had made since Angel began his story.

With a silent nod agreeing to the plan Willow hurried upstairs to get the supplies she would need, when she appeared again at the top of the stairs Xander nearly followed her down until she shut the door on his nose, leaving her to walk downstairs with a slightly guilty smirk.

She set eight church candles out in a circle, standing just outside the circle she took a bit of blood from both Spike and Angel to increase the potency of the spell, it was very possible that the First had set protections around the vampires and they would need all the added strength they could get.

"Out of space and out of time

I call the three who do not belong

Angelus, William and Carma

Be they near or be they far

I call them here

May they come as they are."

The flames from the candles shot up to form a cage around the circle, lighting every corner of the dark basement, wind blew through her red hair and the two watching vampires were thrown into the wall. Grey smoke swirled at the top of the cage. Then three figures fell out, and lo and behold, Angelus, William the Bloody and Carma were lying unconscious in a cage of flame.

PLEASE review, I haven't gotten any for this story so far and I really really want to know what people think. ;)


	3. Explanations

I only own Carma :D

"Willow, could you leave us alone for a while please."

With a quick nod Willow went up the stairs, walking backwards and nearly tripping over a number of times, but not wanting to take her eyes off the feral vampires that were standing in the fire cage. They had awoken a few moments after they had been deposited in the basement and ever since had been staring at the two vampires outside the cage. Hurriedly Willow reached the top of the stairs and threw herself threw the door pulling it closed behind her. Turning she saw a sea of face that ranged between anxiousness and severe curiosity, seeing Buffy step forward to investigate the basement she cast a sealing spell on the door, making it impossible for anyone to go through.

"Willow what is going on?"

Buffy's voice was hard; Xander's face showed the same hardness, Anya, Andrew and the Potentials just looked curious.

"Let's go into the living room shall we. I think everyone should hear this."

Not waiting for a reaction from her friends Willow grabbed Kennedy's hand and Rona's arm and herded them into the room, seating them on either side of her on the couch. She figured that Buffy knew she needed every possible potential at the moment and she couldn't attack her if there were two sitting beside her that she could hide behind, and Willow knew her best friend wouldn't be happy at her bringing three unsouled, extremely dangerous, very powerful vampires into their basement.

Immediately after the door had slammed closed behind Willow the fire walls fell down and the five vampires were left staring at each other.

"Well, this is an interesting situation, isn't it?"

The First had obviously taken pains to have the Triumvirate blend into the new century. Angelus had his dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail, his legs were encased in skin tight dark blue jeans with faded patched on the thighs, steel-toed boots poked out from beneath the hem, he was wearing a black muscle shirt with a red silk shirt open over it.

William had his brown hair worn in the same fashion, his trousers were black leather that moulded itself to every muscle, black calf high boots were worn over his trousers, and he had a white wife beater with a black silk shirt.

Carma's long hair was still flowing down her back, she had a blood red, silk spaghetti strap top worn over a black denim mini skirt, black thigh high boots that laced up the front were worn over tights patterned with roses and the outfit was completed with a floor length black leather duster.

Angelus had always said that image was one of the most important details for a vampire; the image you projected could decide the quality of your next meal, it could also decide the amount of pressure you had to exact to get something from someone, of course, they always used as much force as they wanted to, but it was the principle of the thing.

"What the bloody hell is going on?"

William erupted; there was no other word for it. He'd had enough, they had been perfectly happy, minding their own business, as they travelled to Romania, and then they were dragged forwards in time, several hundred years forward, by the thing they were running from! And ever since that day they had been living in a haze, knowing they were working for something that wanted to destroy their planetary buffet, but not being able to do anything about it, which had infuriated his sire to no end when they had been alone.

"Will, calm down. 'Gelus, don't break anything. And as for you two, I think you'd better start explaining."

Carma was exactly how they remembered her, subtle but controlling, able to give orders to two of the most dangerous vampires in history.

Unconsciously falling back into the habit of obeying Carma's steel laced suggestions Angel explained everything, the First, how they knew about the other three vampires, where they were now, and finally what they wanted the Triumvirate to do. But of course they couldn't do that, without explaining about the souls. That produced various reactions.

Carma seemed to find it hilarious, the thought of Angelus and William with souls, seemed to be ridiculous, Angelus was insulted and he and William started shouting at Angel, varying amounts of curses and disbelieving snorts were thrown in among the shouts. Carma however turned to face Spike; he had stood silent throughout Angel's tale, smoking a cigarette in the corner.

"What happened to me?"

Her soft question brought Spike's head up to face her, without showing ay emotion he stubbed the cigarette out on the palm of his hand, neither of them showed any sign of how it must have hurt.

"You disappeared. After Angelus went and got himself souled and ran off it was just us, but then Darla and Dru found us. You and Darla came to blows and you ran off. We said we'd meet up again at the Eiffel Tower, Christmas night actually; you always did have a flair for the dramatic. But I couldn't make it, that year or the year after, Dru was worse than ever after losing her 'Daddy', Darla had disappeared God knows where, I had to look after her. And when I did get there, you weren't there.

Some bloke who spent every bloody day under that tower said that you had been there, and that you said you'd keep coming back, and so whenever I could get away from Dru for Christmas I went to Paris, but I never found you. I haven't been able to get there for a few years, this town sinks its hooks into you, makes it impossible to get out."

His voice started out blank, but it was filled with suppressed pain, he had loved Carma as a sister, friend and lover, in many ways they were closer than either of them were with Angelus, him being their sire and all.

"I'll still be there, unless I'm dead. I wouldn't stop trying to find you."

Seeing the loneliness and pain in Spike's blue eyes Carma pulled the taller vampire into a hug and whipered in his ear.

"We'll help, but you and I are going to have a long conversation and a trip to Paris at one point. I'll always arrive somewhere early, and if that witch can pull us away from the first she can certainly help send us to Paris."

With a swift nod of her head Carma slid her hand into Spike's palm and led him over to where William and Angelus had Angel pinned up against a wall, one holding his neck and hands, the other pinning his legs against the wall. They were both yelling at him, it was almost choreographed, when one finished an expletive or question the other began, rarely giving Angel a chance to answer.

Putting a hand on Angelus's shoulder she guided him away from Angel and led her sire and William over to a corner after letting go of Spike. A quick glance as she turned to face the two men showed that the souled vampires were ignoring each other.

"I think we should help."

It was best to just get a statement like that out in the open.

"What!"

It was roared in unison by the two males in front of her, although it wasn't really a roar as they were all speaking well below the range of human hearing, and even the other vampires shouldn't have been able to hear them.

"Why not, it's the same principle as before, we didn't want it to destroy the world then, now we have a chance to stop it."

"She's got a point sire."

"No she does not! I refuse to lower myself to working with that poltroon. What we are going to do is find a way to get back to our own time, and we are going to find a way to stop me becoming that pathetic excuse for a vampire. Now neither of you are going to argue with me. Is that clear!"

He expected the two younger vampires to submit to him as he had put some of his sire power into his tone, but instead he found two pairs of defiant eyes staring back at him.

"Unless you exert all your will you cannot control us anymore, you gave that up when the Triumvirate was formed twenty years ago."

There was silence after that, Angelus knew that he had given up a lot of control over his childer, and he never had much cause to regret it. He rarely controlled these two, they were too close to him. But this had shaken him, him, the Scourge of Europe, he never believes that he could become as weak as the future version of him was, and he was weak, he shouldn't have been able to be pinned by two younger vampires, even if they were two thirds of the Triumvirate.

"Lets try it then."

Angelus headed over to the other two vampires and said that they would work with them, he tried very hard to suppress the outburst at being told they would have to live on pigs blood, managing to vent his frustrations by digging his nails into his palms, drawing little crescent shaped pools of blood, the muscles in his arms quivered, and although William and Carma were just as horrified at the thought they had to stifle laughs at their sire's reaction.

"OK, we'll have to introduce you to the slayers, potentials and all the others upstairs, and you'll be helping to train the potentials."

Angel continued to explain the Triumvirate's jobs while he walked up the stairs, so he didn't notice the looks of horror on the Triumvirate's faces, or the sniggers from Spike.

"SLAYERS!!"

"POTENTIAL SLAYERS!!"

"NO BLOODY WAY!!"

OK people, I'm really begging now, please please review this. This is going to sound so peculiar but I was daydreaming in a really boring history lesson about the Bolsheviks, and I came up with this, a lot more interesting than Russian revolutions, at least I thought it was. So review PLEASE, no one has but I really want to know what you think. PLEASE!!!


	4. Discoveries

I own Carma, but that's it

Things had rapidly degenerated from a tense peace back to a full out war after Angel started talking about slayers.

"You never mentioned slayers. Slayers were never mentioned."

"I thought you needed our help, why the hell would you want to bring us into a house full of slayers."

"People are going to die and it bloody well won't be us!"

"What are you two so upset about? We need to stop the First and can you think of anything better than a slayer group of slayers to do that."

They made and interesting spectacle, William and Carma were slowly advancing on Angel who was holding his ground and shouting back. You couldn't really blame the two of them, they had a past with various slayers and it wasn't a pretty one. While they were occupied Angelus decided to talk to his silent childe.

"William."

"Its Spike now mate."

Deciding to tackle the change of name later Angelus pressed on.

"You don't respect him."

It was a simple statement, spoken with no emotion, but it carried so much meaning. The sire was the most important person in a vampire's life, they taught, sheltered and fed the fledgling in the first few decades, there was a blood link between sire and child, and every vampire could sense a sire-childe link. But what distressed Angelus was that the link between Angel and Spike was weak, so very weak, it almost didn't exist anymore.

"No. He betrayed us. When he got his soul he ran, he didn't even have the decency to tell us.

Then we met here again and he tried to kill me and Dru, then he lost his soul again and decided it would be more fun to sleep with Dru and torture me.

Then he got his soul back again, ran off to LA. A while ago a military group chipped me. I couldn't hurt anything human without feeling as though by brain was on fire, and he didn't help. I was left to the mercy of the slayer."

Spike lowered his eyes, he might despise Angel, but this was Angelus, his true sire, his protector. A hand lifted his chin and he found himself looking into the true face of Angelus, yellow eyes flashing with barely restrained anger.

"What?"

The word ground through his teeth, Angelus had been mad before but this was going to the extreme. One of his hands was holding onto the banister and a loud crack echoed through the basement as the wooden railing splintered and collapsed, drawing the attention of the three arguing vampires.

"Sire…"

Carma's voice was hesitant, she knew when her sire was in a fury like this it wasn't a good idea to antagonise him, something Spike said had seriously upset her sire.

"Spike what have you done now? Angelus, just ignore Spike he's an idiot and…"

While he spoke Angel had moved down the stars towards his past self, but he was cut off by a fist flying towards his face with the full force of a vampire's strength behind it. It floored him before he could move and he flew backwards, Carma and William were experienced when their sire had fits like this, and without even seeming to notice that they were doing it they each took a few steps in opposite directions, allowing Angel to fly right through them.

"Spike, do you think we should work with the slayer, train the potentials?"

Spike stared; it wasn't like Angelus to give over command to anyone. Looking around he saw Carma and William emotionless, Angel was rubbing his jaw and glaring at Angelus, and Angelus was looking at him like a sire.

"Yes."

It was whispered but it carried the point. Angelus morphed his face back to human form, slung his arm around Spike and led him up the stairs. As they reached Angel he passed Spike off to Carma and the pulled Angel to his feet, and whispered harshly in his ear.

"I don't care if you're the future version of me. No one hurts my childer, no one. What the hell happened to you?"

Angelus just ignored Angel after that, he stepped past him and joined his childer, he wrapped an arm around Carma's waist and William's shoulders, but when he gestured for Spike to go before them the bleached blond declined.

With identical malicious smirks the Triumvirate stepped through the door. Leaving the souled vampires behind.

"You always were protective, whenever anyone hurt us, or even insulted us, just a little you ripped their throats out. That's just what he's doing."

Spike moved past Angel and started moving up the stairs. It looked as though his sire was going to say something, his mouth opened, but then it closed again and there was silence. With instincts born over decades that were no longer even noticed the two vampires travelled silently and in unison with each other, as they left the basement they were greeted with a sight they'd really rather not have seen.

_Angelus, William, Carma_

"Willow how could you be so irresponsible. Spike and Angel might have souls but those three obviously don't and how do we know that they're not working for the First?!"

The blond slayer was leaning over Willow, arms waving around while the rest of the potentials, scoobies and the A.I. gang were just scattered around the room staring at them.

"You could always ask us."

Heads all snapped around to the doorframe that led to the hall and found themselves facing the three leather-clad vampires. But before anyone could speak Andrew decided to put his oar in.

"Are you really the Vampire Triumvirate? Wow, I remember reading about you when I was researching for the Evil Trio. I cannot believe that all this time I've been living in a house with a member of the Triumvirate mmhmn…"

Unfortunately Andrew was cut off before he could continue by Carma throwing him into a wall, as though they were watching a tennis match everyone watched the boy fly through the air, then snapped their eyes back to the three vampires, by which time Angel and Spike had joined them.

"Dead-boy, I see you've decided to grace us with two of your presences this visit."

While Angel growled at Xander Spike smirked, Angelus glared, William and Carma smiled, and everyone else was torn between reactions.

"Buffy, I understand that this is a strange situation, but there isn't a choice, if the Triumvirate is forced to work for the First we won't have a chance of beating him."

"After all the trouble last time Angelus was released, I can't believe you actually brought him into my house, especially around all these potentials."

It was getting to Buffy, she didn't seem to be able to keep a hold on her emotions anymore, tears were shining in her eyes, and as he was always unable to handle seeing his slayer in any kind of pain Angel stepped forwards and enveloped her in a hug. Buffy immediately wrapped her arms around the vampire; love was evident in every movement between them. As Angel lightly kissed her on her forehead and disentangled himself they heard the door bang shut. Carma had gone.

With identical growls Angelus and William followed. Spike glared at the other vampire and the slayer and muttering something about "my stupid poof of a sire, no common sense" he stormed out as well, yelling over his shoulder that they'd be back before sunrise.

A storm of chattering broke out in the living room after they left. Andrew had woken up and was making his presence known and unwelcome yet again. Cordelia, Gunn, Fred and Wesley were trying to get Angel's attention away from Buffy while Lorne sat on hi chair looking a bit shell shocked, ignoring the potentials who were pointing and whispering about him. Xander was wondering out loud what Spike was up to now, Willow was still looking a bit nervous, this had all happened really fast, the rest of the scoobies were trying to calm down the crowd of teenage girls, except Anya who was arguing with Faith. They were all cowed into silence though when Angel broke off his conversation with Buffy and slammed his fist in the wall.

"Damn!" he whispered before running out, leaving a room filled with silence behind him.

"Great, something else to fix."

Xander's attempt to lighten the mood only earned him glares from Buffy, Anya, Willow, Cordelia and Faith.

_With the vampires_

"Carma will you stop bloody moving. Carma!"

With a lunge William grabbed hold of the speeding vampire and roughly turned her round to face him.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, running off like that?"

He practically yelled the question in her face as Angelus and Spike approached them, but with a light touch on his arm Angelus pulled him away.

"You left me, you both left me, you promised you never would."

Although she was evidently trying her best not to let them, some tears managed to escape her eyes and trickle down her face. William pulled her into a tight hug, always unable to see her in pain. Angelus joined them and pressed his lips against her hair, holding them there, feeding her comfort through the contact.

At that moment Angel appeared and stopped by the slightly awkward looking Spike, Angelus lifted his head away from his childe and growled:

"What the hell has happened?"

Dreamin Of You: thank you so much for reviewing, I didn't know I wasn't accepting anonymous reviews, but I've changed it now, so hopefully more people will review. I'm really glad that someone likes this story. 

Please review people, again I'm begging, please :D


	5. Guilt

I only own Carma

"Wha…"

Angel was cut off before he could finish asking what his past self was talking about; it wasn't as though he didn't already know the answer anyway. Leaving William to comfort Carma with Spike making his way over to the pair Angelus stalked towards Angel, as though he was hunting.

"You know precisely what I'm talking about."

The words were spoken in a veritable growl, and Angelus had vamped out, his eyes blazing yellow and his fangs practically dripped with bloodlust.

"I'm talking about why you seem to have forgotten that you're a sire, before anything else. I know that's what I decided I was when I first sired Dru, and then William and Carma, but you, you seem to have forgotten. You deserted your own childer, then tried to kill them, and when you lose your soul, you torture a member of the triumvirate, ones you promised never to harm. And you don't even react when your childe is experimented on."

Seeming to be too angry for words Angelus let fly with his fist, aiming right for Angel's stomach and knocking him onto the ground before continuing.

"But the worst thing, the absolute worst, you fell in love with a bloody fucking slayer! No vampire should sink that low, soul or no soul, and you flaunt it in front of Carma.

We were the triumvirate, in more than power; it was the three of us, and we promised our childer that we would never let them go."

Not wanting Carma to hear the next bit he grabbed Angel's collar and pulled him up so that his mouth was directly by his ear.

"You must remember where we found her, how we found her, how we knew that we would turn her, not feed or torture her, how her music rang through the house and how William started to play again. You have to remember how we protected her from Darla and Drusilla when they attacked her, how we stayed with her through the nights, protecting her from her nightmares, with William by our side, how the two of them bonded, fulfilling every sire's dream, every lover's dream. But you betray her for some insignificant blond slayer, forgot a century of love from two of the most perfect specimens of vampirism you could imagine, and you forgot the adoration you felt for them."

With that Angelus released his hold on Angel, letting the older vampire collapse against the pavement, and without even looking to see Angel's reaction turned to his childer, all three of them, he had taken Spike on as his childe again, even though Spike technically older than he was himself, but he had see the need for a sire filling the blond, and he was going to be that sire again.

"Carma, William, try and find a house along here without inhabitants, if there aren't any create one, no killing though, e may have to help the slayer but we will not live I the same house as her and her bloody army."

With simultaneous nods the two melted into the shadows as Angelus turned to Spike.

"Could you please show me where I could obtain some blood, seeing as how we can't feed on human's while we are here."

"Of course."

With a quick look directed towards Angel Spike turned and walked off into the darkness, followed by the darker vampire.

Angel was left sitting on the ground, holding his stomach but not noticing the pain. All he could remember was the dreams he had been having recently, since the triumvirate had been brought forwards he guessed. Dreams of four hands floating over his skin, two small, pale and soft with well long and soft talons for nails, two were larger, stronger, callouses from work and writing. Light brown and ebony air covered his body as they lay together, soft voices murmured to him as the three of them talked about anything and everything under the sun and the moon. Dreams of hunting with them, three bodies moving in perfect unison, knowing where to be to maximise the fear in their prey.

He had never meant to hurt them, but he couldn't cope, after he was cursed with his soul he wanted to run to them, let his childer take away the pain. But when he tried, when he reached their mansion and saw the two of them through the window, playing their instruments, enjoying a night without Darla and Drusilla and waiting for his return he couldn't. He couldn't let them comfort him, he was repulsed by what he had done and at the time he didn't want to contaminate his perfect childer with his guilt. But as time passed, as he grew to hate the things he'd done and he began to disassociate Angelus from who he was now, he began to hate Carma and William as well, for the things they had done together, for what the three of them were when they were together, powerful, evil.

He had forgotten how they were together, it had all happened so fast, finding out what the First had done, bringing them here, explaining everything, he hadn't thought about what it would be like to see them again. They didn't even realise that they did it, moved in unison, emotions reflected on each others faces, three made one, the only successfully bonded triumvirate in history.

He was doing it again, separating Angelus from himself, but he couldn't do that anymore, the First would retaliate against the loss of the triumvirate, and he would have to be at full strength if he was to help Buffy repel his forces.

Buffy. That was another problem, he loved her, he knew that, at least his consciousness did, his subconscious had been having second thoughts ever since the dreams. But if the blond slayer ever found out about the relationship between Angelus, William and Carma there would be hell to pay, for two vampires possibly since Willow had said something about Spike and Buffy, something he was determined not to think about too much.

Gingerly rising to his feet he turned and headed back to the house where he was undoubtedly going to be assaulted with questions about why the triumvirate had run off and where Spike had gone. But he didn't care at that moment, despite everything all he could think about was the look in Spike's eyes as he looked at Angelus, the boy had quickly taken up the roles of sire and childe again. Angel had never realised that Spike hated not having his sire there, he knew he hated him because of the soul, but he thought his boy wouldn't have needed or wanted a sire, he had never given the younger vampires status as a member of his family an issue, even when he found out that his childe had been experimented on and muzzled like an animal, he even thought his by was an animal.

And Carma, what had happened to his youngest, where was she now, it had been so long since he had even thought about her, the link between sire and childe was so faint that he didn't even know if she was still alive. But with a flash of Angelus's steel determination flowing through him again he decided something as he opened the door to slayer central, they would find her, she needed to be here for this.

_William and Carma_

The two vampires had broken into a house across the street from Buffy's, from the stale scents that enveloped every room the inhabitants had left at least three weeks ago.

"There's plenty of material to block the windows with, upstairs and downstairs, so there will at least be some freedom during the day."

As he sauntered down the stairs William looked for his lover, he was about to shout for her when he heard the music. Following the sweet sound he discovered her in what was probably a study, a female's by the look of it.

Carma was standing by the window, bathed in moonlight that reflected brightly off the metallic music stand. Sheets of music were piled on the stand but the vampiress wasn't looking at them, instead her eyes were closed, lost in memories as her arm moved the bow across a fine violin. The longer she played the richer the music became, strong and clear her song rang out, filling the corners of the house with music that had been unheard for over a hundred years. William just leaned against the door frame and watched as her as the music died away, it was strange, the music was unearthly, almost heavenly which was strange in itself considering that it was a vampire who was playing, but she had infused it with none of her power. One of the additional powers the triumvirate gave her was the ability to call other creatures to her, and she chose to do that through music, when the two of the played together they could call spirits across the ages, through space and time.

He clapped as she lowered the instrument, long slow and filled with pride.

"I'm sorry Will, it's just, I saw it and I couldn't help it, I haven't played in so long."

If she hadn't been a vampire she would have blushed.

""What on earth are you apologising for, I'll imagine that that instrument has never been played so skilfully."

"There are all kinds of instruments here William, and another violin. We could play together again."

He smiled indulgently at the younger girl; sometimes she really acted as though she were seventeen, the age she had been when she was turned. Excitable and frivolous, but he knew that their abilities to call people through music would be invaluable in the coming battle.

"Of course we will, but lets prepare this house for Angelus first shall we, then we can give him a proper welcome when he returns."

With their arms wrapped around each other they left to board up windows and create a suitable environment for their sire.

_Angelus and Spike_

"Fuck me lad, how long have you been living on this?"

Spike had to stifle a laugh at the sight of the Scourge of Europe spitting out pig's blood.

"A while, ever since the Initiative chipped me."

That was bad subject choice Spike realised as Angelus growled low and deep in his chest. Swiftly changing the subject he decided he might as well take the plunge and ask another bad question.

"How do you intend to work with the slayers? Here are two of them, all the potentials, Buffy's back up gang and Angel's crew from LA."

Angelus thought for a while before answering.

"You. You'll need be interpreter. I won't bow down to a slayer but I'll admit I'm a man out of time and I may not understand everything here. I have no idea what some of these things are."

To prove his point he waved at a public phone box as they passed by.

"But I think we'll need to have a little chat about Buffy, she is the blond, correct. I thought so. I could see that Angel was in love with her, but I could smell jealousy coming off you in waves, and if I could, so could Carma.

I won't have her hurt Spike, if anything upsets her, or William for that matter there'll be hell to pay. Clear?"

With a submissive nod Spike agreed, he didn't want to hurt Carma anyway, yes a part of him loved Buffy, but Carma was…Carma.

"Good. Now, why don't we go and find a few drinks, and you can tell me just how it is that there are two slayers."

Angelus slung an arm around the bleached blond and steered him towards the smell of beer.

Thank you to all the lovely people who reviewed, I hope you like this chapter and please review again people. ;)

SpikedAngel22: I hope you like this chapter as well.

Kagome Hater: here's part five, Angel isn't going to be quite so stupid throughout the whole story, at least at the moment I don't think he is, I haven't really decided yet.

Whisper: Carma will appear eventually, the present one, and she and Spike are going to get together, but I'm still not sure about Angel.

Raynee: yeah it makes sense

ana: I hope you like this

Lady Lestat: thanks, and here's the next chap.


	6. Music

I only own Carma.

"No, no, the best time was Japan! When Darla fell flat on her face in that table."

"I suppose you might have a point there lad."

"Don't call me 'lad' Angelus, I'm older than you are."

Then for no reason the two vampires burst into laughter again, neither of them had laughed this much in decades, it was probably all the drinks they'd had. Angelus had wanted to try all of the new liquors available, and of course he'd talked Spike into it. It had been a very interesting night that would culminate in a blinding hangover the next morning, but at that moment they were enjoying themselves, Spike especially. He'd really missed Angelus, not the crazy, sadistic bastard that emerged after Angel shagged Buffy, but the vampire that took him out for nights on the town, the vampire that was continuously buying William and Spike presents, he knew he'd been thinking that pretty much constantly since they appeared but he couldn't help it, he'd missed his sire.

After a few wrong turns and the creation of various dented signposts and walls they finally made their way back to Revello Drive. It took them a while but eventually they identified the house that William and Carma had chosen, it would appear that draining a bar of anything that even remotely resembled alcohol impaired the sense of smell.

"Sun will be up soon."

"Yep."

Spike didn't look at Angelus as he spoke; he was more interested in the thorny vine that had hooked itself into his coat. He did look up at the next words that came out of the darker vampires mouth though.

"You're welcome to stay with us if you want?"

That drew Spike's head up to meet Angelus's eyes, and it nearly shocked him into sobriety. It was then that Spike realised something, Angel would never even consider it. Even though Angel refused to accept Spike as childe, he wouldn't accept him as a master vampire in his own right, capable if he wanted of creating his own family. But although Angelus was giving him the choice of having a sire he was also allowing him to be the master that he was, to live apart from his sire and to be independent, like a child who has left home but still has a strong relationship with his parents.

"I think I should probably stay with Buffy and the girls. If the Bringers come they'll need all the help they can get."

"Right."

It looked as though they were going to split ways then but instead Angelus spoke up.

"You love her as well don't you, the blond slayer."

There was no accusation in his voice, it was cold and emotionless, and that is that worried Spike the most. Although the blond opened his mouth to answer he wasn't given a chance.

"The way you've been talking about her tonight you couldn't not love her, but I also know that you love Carma, you said that tonight as well, even if you didn't know it."

Suddenly all traces of drunkenness were gone from Angelus's voice and manner.

"I'm just asking that you don't hurt my Carma, you said that you want to bring your Carma here to help, fine. What you do with her is your own business, I won't interfere. But seeing Angel and Bunny or whatever the hell her name as is going to be bad enough, I don't want her hurt anymore than necessary. All right."

With a silent nod Spike turned and headed into the house, it wouldn't have looked a lot more serious and dramatic if he hadn't smashed into the porch railings on his way. After the door closed on the cacophony inside, enveloping Spike in a world of teenage and adult screams and shouts Angelus turned and headed up his path.

"Must be the soul, decreases the alcohol resistance."

He threw the bags of blood he was carrying onto the stairs and was about to shout for the others to come and get some, and that he had some alcohol to chase it down with, when the music hit him.

Soft and sweet it lifted emotions to the forefront of his mind that no vampire should feel, love, passion, and devotion, the last one that should definitely not be felt by a sire towards his childer. Silently, without even disturbing the air around him Angelus followed the melody.

Opening the door that the music was coming he fell up short, they had obviously been shopping through the wardrobes in the house. Instead of the leather and skintight material they had worn earlier, the clothes they wore now were soft, beautiful instead of sexy.

Sitting by a grand piano, long fingers effortlessly manoeuvring over the keys Williams hair was left loose and flowing over his shoulders. Instead of skintight leather and cotton he wore silky grey trouser and an open necked white button down shirt.

But Carma who was playing away on a violin looked amazing, a floor length midnight blue dress with a plunging neckline that tied behind her neck, leaving her back bare. The soft, touchable ivory skin was on display, deeply contrasted with the blue, her dark hair ran rampant over one shoulder, her eyes were closed, her face lost, her body moving with the music, and she knew just how much she was killing him like this, he'd never been able to resist either of them when they played.

Deciding to play their game he headed towards his youngest childe, and watched as she stopped playing and put the violin on the piano.

"May I have this dance my Lady?"

"It would be my pleasure Lord."

And then they danced, swirling around the room, fast and slow, first he danced with Carma and then with Spike while she played.

It had been a long time since they had been able to do this, for the last three months they had been in London with Darla and Drusilla, and then when the First had them there had been no such thing as time for relaxation, he had been too busy trying to control them.

It was times like these when Angelus remembered exactly why he sired these to, both soft but hard, loving but deadly, perfect vampires, perfect companions for eternity, or at least that was what as going to happen this time round, he was going to change history and keep his childer with him, come souls, hell or high-water. They danced and played until the sun was high in the sky, then they retreated down to the basement. It had been converted into a spare room with a king-size bed; perfect for in Will's opinion, not only for the lack of sunlight, but that it was decorated in a very similar manner to the room they had been in when Carma first joined him and Angelus. The rest of the day was spent on that very same bed, with Angelus and William trying to erase the doubts that Angel had put in Carma's mind. Although she knew that William and Angelus loved her, it was still a shallow veneer of self-confidence, although Carma had been born into a high family they had always beaten it into her that she must be subservient. Although she had given those beatings back ten-fold after she had been turned, she still couldn't properly bring her mind away from the principles that had been hammered in ever since she was born, and so when she saw Angel and Buffy together it had made her feel as though William and Angelus would grow tired of her. A notion the two older vampires were doing their very best to dissuade her of.

Across the road Buffy was standing by the stairs, a cup of coffee in her hands as she watched Angel, he had been sitting as close to the window as he could all day, and in the morning it had been as though he was listening to something. But when she asked what, he just shrugged and went back to staring out of the window, it was left to Spike to answer, and all he said was "music of the past."

Earlier she had attempted to go over the road and speak with the three vamps, but instead Spike and Angel tackled her to the ground, the only time Angel had moved that day. When there had been many indignant questions asking what the hell they were doing, hers the shrillest of them all. But all Spike did was laugh and mumble something that no one heard, and Angel blushed, which she wouldn't have thought vampires could do but he managed.

"Sun's setting."

All she got in return was a shrug, moving over to the couch she shoved Xander along a bit and sat down. All the potentials were there, sitting on the floor, tables, chairs, any surface that wasn't already full. The scoobies were there as well, Willow and Kennedy whispering quietly to each other. Cordelia and Wesley were flipping through one of the books Wes had brought with him; Buffy hadn't believed it when she first saw it, Cordelia willingly doing research. A shy girl called Fred was sitting with the demon; Lorne was it, and Gunn. Faith was in the kitchen with that teenager, Connor, apparently the kid had grown up in a hell dimension and Faith was now introducing him to the wonders of junk food. They were the only two who weren't in the main room.

"Do you really think that those three will help?"

Again there was no answer from Angel, but from Spike who was standing in the doorway.

"They'll help slayer, for two reasons. They don't want the world to be taken over by the First; it would ruin everything, that's why we didn't help him the last time he asked. And they want to get home, or at least back to their own time."

"Huh."

The silence was interrupted by a scream from a potential who was looking at the door, it had just been flung open and Angelus was hauling a Bringer inside.

**Whisper:** here's the next chap

**Anne: **you wanted more and here it is, I just hope you like it

Please review everyone; I love to know what you all think :)


	7. Torture and transformations

Hey, sorry it's been a while but I just haven't had a chance. Again, unfortunately I only own Carma. I've really messed around with characters in this but I hope you like it

"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that he isn't a friend of yours."

All Carma got in return for her politeness, sarcastic though it may have been, was a glare from Buffy that was probably meant to be frightening, but Carma had lived with Angelus and William the Bloody for decades, that was nothing.

"No he isn't."

The Bringer had been tied down onto the chair, after Buffy and the others had recovered from the abrupt entrance. Apparently he had been lurking outside the house, the only one though, the three of them had checked, and Angel had insisted that she believe them, although the idea of trusting vampires apart from Angel or Spike was just wrong. Intellectually Buffy knew that two of this 'Triumvirate' as they called themselves were Angel and Spike, and she promised herself that she was going to treat them like that, but it was still quite scary. As for Carma, Buffy had absolutely no intention of being nice to her; the way she was draping herself over Spike, William, was absolutely ridiculous, as though he would ever be interested in something like that.

"He's a Bringer, one of the First's agents. He must have been trying to find out how many potentials we've got."

After a few seconds silence Willow finished the explanation as it became obvious that Buffy wasn't going to respond anymore to Carma. She had to raise her voice as she spoke, to make herself over the low growls emerging from Angelus's throat at the insult to his childe. But before he could do anything about it William entered the conversation.

"Why are you guessing what he wants, why don't you just ask him?"

"We've trapped one and asked them that before. They don't give anything away."

This time it was Buffy that replied, in a girly, flirty voice, causing Carma to growl under her breath.

"Asked, asked! These bringers must have been killing potentials. And you just asked what their plans were. Spike I'm ashamed of you."

Pathetic though it was for a Master Vampire, Angelus almost seemed to be having a heart attack. The idea of just 'asking' for information was totally foreign to him. Why did no one here seem to know what torture was, slayers and watchers were one thing, but there were two vampires who he knew knew how to wring information out of an unwilling donor, and they just ASKED!

"Well what would you suggest?"

"Give him to us for a few hours, we'll sort it."

Despite Angel and Spike's objections, and Giles's rather obvious misgivings, the Triumvirate hauled the unconscious Bringer down to the basement. But the door slammed in Buffy's face before she could follow them down.

_In the basement_

"It's a shame he's blind. It's always more fun when they can see the blood."

"Wow, would you look at some of the thing's they've got here!"

Angelus and William looked away from the gibbering, bleeding Bringer to see Carma leaning over a chest pulling out various weapons and haying them almost reverently on the floor. There was a gleaming silver sword with an ornately decorated hilt, a mace, a gorgeous knife with a jewelled hilt that Carma slid into the waist band of her jeans, and among others, a glowing purple whip that Angelus swore he had seen a friend of his use once.

"How's it going?"

"He seems to be refusing to talk."

Angelus stepped back to allow his childer play their game.

"Ahh, why don't you want to talk to us?"

Her voice had a saccharine sweetness that was both seductive and deadly, her hips were swaying as she walked towards the Bringer and circled him predatorily, her hand trailing across his chest as she drew up behind William and rested her head on his shoulder. Without any sign of mercy in their eyes they just stared at the Bringer in front of them, the normally stoic harbinger was slumped against one of the supports. A series of cuts, almost like a pattern of cross-stitch, all neat and perfectly straight, they ran down his arms and his back was decorated with large bruises. He was whimpering, pathetic little noises erupting from his mouth, although he still wasn't talking, he was close to cracking.

"Carma, William, the two of you must be hungry. And I'm sure our friend here would be more than happy to oblige."

The Bringer didn't need to see to know that he wasn't just going to be fed on, vampires didn't like Bringer blood anyway, it usually made them ill. Something in Angelus's voice spoke of something far worse. With matching malicious smirks Carma and Spike moved so that Carma was on his right, and William on the left. Nodding to their sire they both morphed and viciously sank their fangs into the Bringer's neck.

It burned! The Bringer had never really considered being bitten by a vampire, but nothing said it felt like this. Liquid fire was racing through veins, and it fried and froze his insides at the same time, metal spikes were ripping through his organs and it felt as though they were puncturing his skin, from his scalp to the soles of his feet. Some part of him could feel their fangs depart from his neck, and the pain should have stopped, or at least decreased, but it strengthened.

If the Bringer could have seen he would have seen Carma slammed into the post he wasted onto, instead he felt it. Carma's hands were held above her head as William pressed against her and kissed her ferociously, fangs clashing and tongues fighting their own private dance. It was always like this when they shared blood. Blood was a physical part of a person, and when they added the right amount of their power to their feeding, when the blood passed from one mouth to another it intensified their power, caused the victim excruciating pain that lasted as long as they wanted it to. And this was always enough to make them break, it wasn't just the pain, it was the psychological horrors this form of torture inflicted upon the victim, all their nightmares paraded in front of their eyes.

Blood running in rivers down the walls of his mindscape, blurry shapes ran across his vision and they screamed, long and loud, filled with pain. Faces floated towards him, large eyes, rimed with bruises of blood were the frames for the perfectly formed tears that fell, and ran into the corner of the mouth opened in a silent scream. His family. He had once been normal, human, slightly more pessimistic than most, but human, but then his family were murdered in a robbery, his father and brother beheaded, his mother and sisters raped then murdered. Left for him to find when he arrived home from visiting a friend, three weeks later when the bodies were rotting and all the blood was dried in pools around the wounds, and his fathers head had rolled into the hall, so it was the first thing he saw when he entered the house. He'd gone mad then, the police hadn't been doing anything fast enough, and so he'd taken matters into his on hands, he'd gone to every bar in London for three days straight, never stopping, and then picked up a trail to Brighton, he'd followed them and delivered vengeance. Heads rolled and blood was spilled in copious amounts as he paid the bastards back for what they did to his family. That was when the First came to him, he offered the blood crazed young man a place in his ranks, to live forever and assist in the dawning of a new age. Colin didn't make a sound when he died at the same time they took his eyes, instead he welcomed in the Bringer he became, the emptiness and the reassurance that he would never be hurt in that way again. And as the years passed he forgot, evil suppressed the memories of the young man, leaving only the Harbinger of the First in his place. But now Colin was resurfacing, and it hurt so much! With a final anguished scream as he saw they eyes of his mother crying he broke down.

"AAAAHHH! What do you want?!"

Withy a flick of his wrist Angelus told William and Carma to stop, and observed the quivering wreck in front of him. It may have been his imagination, but a quick glance at his childer told him that they had noticed the same thing, his skin had darkened to an almost human colour, and there seemed to be a very short layer of hair covering his scalp.

"I want to know why you ere crawling around outside this house. And I want to know what the First's plans are."

It was a low growl that spoke to the Bringer/man, one that had frightened minions almost into staking themselves.

"He…he…wanted to know if the three of you were actually working with the slayer, and if you were what you were planning to do. And he wanted reconnaissance about the potentials, there's always one of us here to see if any new girls arrive."

Carma interrupted with a disgusted noise, honestly, if he was telling the truth, and he was, there had been at least one Bringer around the house at all times, and they never bloody noticed! Pathetic! But she was silenced by a glare from the two other vampires.

"He has an army of Turak-Han waiting for his command to rise, he knows it's only a matter of time before they all fly apart, and that is the night he intends to flood the town with Turak-Han, no matter were the slayers have stormed off to, they will be found and taken down, one by one."

He voice caught in a sob as he finished, but the vampires were only half listening, while the Bringer had been speaking he had seemed to become less like a Bringer and more like a man. His hair had grown longer, and his skin darkened to a late summer tan, the scars covering his eyes had lightened and nearly disappeared, although the skin still covered his eyes, his brown robes had transfigured into a lose white shirt and black breeches. It was at that point that Angelus and the other two remembered the stories they had unearthed about the Bringers when the First originally approached them.

Although some were demons originally, others were humans who had been taken over by evil; the First took those humans and stripped away their humanity with their eyes. There had been one case where one of those Bringers had been reverted to their humanity, a spell cast by an immensely powerful witch, but it went wring and he killed himself within a week.

"Oh shit!"

"It's not possible."

"I think we've got proof to the contrary love.

"I think you must have put too much power in when you were sharing the blood."

"What…what's going on?"

There was silence while they tried to figure out ho to answer the Bri…mans question. They knew how to torture, but this was a bit out of their league. After a long moment Carma stepped forwards and let him down from the ropes, and travelled with him as he slumped down to the ground. And she stroked his newly grown hair as she answered, watching him feeling his new clothes in astonishment.

"You're human again luv."

Simple but damaging, he started panicking, whimpering and calling out gibberish, the two younger vampires had to hold onto him to stop him from hurting himself as Angelus knelt down before him.

"You're human. At the risk of sounding kind, you don't need to panic, this was our fault, and we're not going to just let you go wandering off. We'll look after you."

The distraught B…man just burst into tears and leaned into the bodies surrounding him.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, I love you all. Please review this chapter as well:)

Scary Vampiress: glad you like it so far and I hope you like this chapter too

Whisper: here's the net posting

SpikedAngel22: I hope you like this chapter as well

an: here's more for you


	8. Back into the fold

All I own is Carma

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

The three vampires were sitting on the stares, Carma on Angelus's lap with her legs spread over William. They were all looking at the young man asleep on the cot by the wall. He looked like any normal young man you would see at a university or walking down a street. All that distinguished him from those men were the red tear tracks running down his face from the heavily scarred eyes. Eyes which despite the skin covering them still managed to release tears.

"This should never have happened. It shouldn't even be possible."

"But apparently it is."

"What are we going to do sire?"

That threw him, it had been a long time since either of his childer had called him sire, but he didn't know how to answer them. He had done a lot of things in his long life, most of them painful, though not for himself, he had even hurt these two, although now he would gladly be drowned in holy water and then crucified for them.

"We have to look after him, sire."

"He's like another childe, isn't he? But instead of going from human to demon, he went from demon to human. He's another member of the family."

"She's right 'Gelus, he's our childe if you think about it, mine and Carma's."

Oh fuck. Hic childer were growing up, there was a time when if this happened they wouldn't have considered the possibility of the lad being their childe. But now they did.

"He's your childe, and my grandchilde, I have no intention of deserting him. I'm not sure what we're going to do, but it won't be that."

"That lot upstairs aren't going to be happy."

"That's one way of putting it."

There was silence again as they all watched the sleeping figure.

"Angelus, I think you should probably explain it to them, you too Will. I'll sort him out then bring him up."

"Why do we have to do it?"

You wouldn't have thought that the Scourge of Europe would whine, but he did. It took Carma a few seconds and a couple of swallows before she could answer him, and her face as twisted into a grimace as she spoke.

"Because Buffy," there was a derisive inflection in her voice as she said the blonde's name, "has a thing for Angel and Spike. And from what I've seen they've both got it bad for her. So I think she'll take it better coming from you two than from someone they've never told her about, and who's taking their attention away from her. Both sets of you."

The two men had expressions of disgust on their faces. They had talked about it the previous night…day rather, and neither could see why they would ever fall for a slayer, soul or no soul. Never mind actually getting a soul because of a slayer. And especially not this slayer, a whining, selfish, stupid little kid who hid behind her friends while making it seem as though they were hiding behind her. At least that was their first impression of her.

Schooling their faces into blank masks they headed up the stairs, shoulders squared, ready to face the masses.

"Welcome back to the living. Literally."

The young man started at the soft voice and swivelled his head around, even though all he could see was blackness. Panicked he tried to flatten him self against a wall but was stopped by a soft, cold hand pressed against his chest.

"Sshhh. Stay there for a minute, I'm just trying to find some clothes for you. Somehow I doubt that much of this is suitable for you."

He could hear her (it had to be a her from the voice) rummaging around wherever he was, light footsteps, humming, and material rustling. But he had the uneasy feeling that she was purposefully making that noise so that he would know he was there.

He knew he should feel…something, awful wasn't strong enough a word. He could remember his 'life' as a bringer. He could practically feel his fingers as they tightened around a knife and drove forward, layers of skin, nets of veins and arteries causing only a minute obstruction. If that.

But instead he felt…clean…for the first time in a long time. He knew he wasn't, knew that he'd done terrible things and would have to atone for them for the rest of his natural or unnatural life, however long or short that may be. But he'd always been a pragmatist, except for the aftermath of his family's murder, which he wasn't even going to think about. And he knew that he hadn't been him for the past century or so. He'd been a Bringer, a Harbinger of the First Evil, and although he would probably spend several days crying after it all sank in, that wasn't going to be for another few days, so right now he could afford to be rational.

He hauled himself to a more comfortable sitting position with his back against the wall and focused, reaching into his mind and trying to find the key. With a flicker, like a grey shutter falling across his black vision and then he could see again. Not like other people could, but there were black sparkly shapes where inanimate objects were, walls and other constructions were grey, there were green glittery blobs for things like plants, and blue wavy shapes for animals, dark purple for humans and all kinds of colours for the different demons.

In front of him, rummaging through a box was an ice blue, very feminine figure, she turned around and he could see two pure golden eyes. Definitely a vampire, and very powerful judging from the waves of colour radiating away from her. The rest of the room was all black with grey surrounding, nothing alive, except possibly him, he wasn't sure if he could be qualified as alive.

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

He felt his hand being placed on top of a pile of material, it felt like cotton, and there was denim there too. His robes were large and bulky and he wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to change them for the other clothes when a musical voice broke in.

"Would you like a hand?"

She was smirking he could tell, but he appreciated the original thought of letting him cope by himself.

"Thanks."

He tried not to feel embarrassed as she pulled his robes off over his head and replaced them with a cotton t-shirt and denim jeans. She was talking all the time, explaining what had happened. He knew he should feel more shocked, but he couldn't. It was kind of nice actually, hearing her explain about how she was her childe now, hers and William's. He'd heard a lot about vampires over the years, one of the facts that most people didn't know was that the older and more powerful ones took family, sires and childer, very seriously. And if he'd been taken on as two of the most powerful vampires in history's childe, maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

"That's a much better look for you."

"Thanks."

"Can you say anything apart from 'thanks' or 'thank you'?"

"Yes."

He was a bit indignant at that, what else was he supposed to say at the moment?

"Good. Now come on. Lets get you upstairs. We have things to do tonight you know."

_Upstairs_

"What do you mean he's human!"

Buffy looked positively apoplectic, her face was red and bulging, eyes wild and she was pacing all over the place.

"How many ways are there for that relatively simple sentence to be mistaken."

Spike and William both smirked, Spike trying to hide it, Will not bothering, Angel just looked embarrassed, this was Angelus at his best, caustic, calumniating and cannibalistic. Will loved it, so did Spike, Angel was trying very hard to remember why he hadn't done this to Buffy one of the hundred times that she'd acted like an idiot.

"He's a Bringer. Bringer's don't just become human. And even if it did? So what, you should still kill him."

That was Kennedy, her voice ringing out, and while William cut her confidence into strips the size of a single strand of hair, Angelus was looking at the redhead beside her. The brunettes' scent was all over the witch, but so was the smell of disappointment, and he would wager that it was because her girlfriend was so dismissive of human life.

"Kennedy don't say that. I went evil and was given a second chance, this guy deserves new too."

Then the slayer broke in,

"That was completely different Wills. You were mad with grief, this guy's just a psycho."

"Weren't you listening pet? Humans become Bringers when they're taken over by evil. It was possibly grief for this bloke as well."

Buffy opened her mouth again but was interrupted.

"Buffy don't. Give him a second chance, you gave me one, and Willow."

It made Angelus physically sick, and a low growl erupted from his throat. Seeing himself plead to a slayer, and have her cuddle up to him was disgusting.

"All right Angel. Angelus call that skank and you're new pet up and…"

She couldn't finish the sentence; being thrown into a wall does cause problems in the speaking department. William and Angelus stalked over to her and hauled her to her feet and slammed her against the wall, three feet off the ground. She couldn't move, couldn't breath, all she could see was two sets of golden eyes, brow ridges and fangs. Over the growls se could hear Spike's voice, he was telling the other's not to interfere, why wasn't he helping her. What about Angel, where was he? Smack. Her head slammed against a wall and she was brought back to reality.

"If you ever say anything like that again. Insult Carma in any way, shape or form. We'll make you wish you were in the deepest pits of hell for the rest of eternity. And your boyfriends will help us."

She was pulled away from the wall and flung around to see Spike in full vamp face, snarling quietly. And Angel, her Angel, stalked towards her and backhanded her, Angelus released her at the same time so she flew back into the already demolished wall. The two sets of doubles were talking in another language, something demony, when through hazy vision she saw Spike pull Angel into a hug, followed by Angelus, then William. If anyone had been able to understand anything they'd said they'd have known that Angel was being welcomed back into the family. But the reunion was cut short when Carma and Colin walked through the crowd of astonished bystanders.

"We missed the fun part of the evening then?"

Please update everyone. No one reviewed the last chapter and I love getting reviews. And I know that the thing with the Bringer's weird, but I'd finished the chapter before I realised what I'd written. Again, I'm begging, please review:)


	9. Finding the third

All I own is Carma

"We have to find Carma. If we're going to have any hope of defeating the First without turning Sunnydale at least, possibly the whole of California, into atoms we need the power of two Triumvirates, and the three of us are going to need as long a time as possible to get back on our feet. And then we have the problem of actually trying to figure out what we're going to do."

Spike was standing in the doorway; energy seemed to radiate from him, as though he just wanted to run out the door and start looking for her. Angel was nodding from his position on the floor sitting against the wall, legs straight out in front of him. Angelus was seated beside him, one leg curled underneath him, the other hooked around William who was leaning into his Sire's body. The younger vampire's arms were wrapped around Carma's slender shoulders, her head resting in the crook of his neck, her legs resting on the armchair nearby. Making Xander who was seated on the chair feel very uncomfortable as whenever he shifted his weight he brushed against her leather clad legs Angelus, William or both growled at him, and occasionally Angel and Spike joined in, all of which just made him more nervous, and the more nervous he got, the more he shifted around on the chair.

The vampires made a strangely threatening picture, you would have though that all spread out on the floor like that, curled together like little children they would have looked less harmless, but it was the exact opposite. They looked like predators resting in the shade, until the time came for them to spring and bring down their prey.

Colin was sitting on the other side of the door, protected from glares by Faith on one side and Willow on the other.

"I could do a locater spell but I don't think just pulling her out of wherever she is and into here is such a good idea. No offence Carma but I think she might react a it violently no matter what any of you say."

Willow's voice grew progressively quieter as she spoke, and a fierce blush stained her pale cheeks. Carma just grinned wickedly and stretched out, drawing the eye of every male in the room, and a few of the girls too, eyes flashing brightly.

"If you can send me to where she is, I'll bring her here."

After a minute pause Willow nodded, her eyes flicking momentarily to Angel and back was the cause, checking to see if he minded Spike inferring that he was going alone. Which of course he did, in a way, but he knew that there were issues between Carma and Spike that needed to be sorted out before he was even in the same building as her, otherwise he'd be dust before he could even say hello.

"I'm going too. What? I know be, from what he said, he's not exactly her…my…whoever's…favourite person at the moment, and they're going to need a buffer zone. Besides, it'll be interesting."

Her voice was ingenuously simple and sugary, a sweet smile befitting a young girl of her time, eyes demurely downcast, but there was a wicked glint in them that no one could see, but everyone knew it was there.

* * *

About an hour later it was all set up, the main room had been cleared of furniture and potentials. A circle formed of black sand was in the centre; white tea lights were spread evenly along the sand, little flames merrily burning away, Willow was kneeling outside the circle, knees two scant millimetres away from breaking the circle. Carma and Spike stood in the centre of the circle, hands clasped, fingers laced together. The other vampires stood as close as they could without being in the spell's 'splash zone', the hordes of potentials had flattened themselves to the walls. Giles had given a speech (for once it hadn't been Buffy) about the dangers of magic, and how if they were too close they could get dragged along. The Scoobies and Angel's gang were in a far corner, catching up on old times, recounting tales to those who hadn't been there when they took place, again Faith and Connor were a little on the outside. Angel thought he had heard his son mention Quor-toth, thinking that he should he was about to go over, see if Connor was finally ready to open up to him. Put a look from Carma stopped him, she may not know what was going on, and she may not have spent much time around the boy, but she could see when someone needed to talk someone who wouldn't judge, both of them did in her humble opinion. The blonde slayer was standing off in a corner, arms folded, doing her best to look like the pillar of goodness and light her twisted mind thought she was, but seeing as how she'd fucked two vampires, shamelessly using the second one, Angel didn't really se how she could think that.

It was so, except for strange dreams that he could never remember when he awoke he hadn't thought of Carma in nearly a century, Spike had merely been the annoying childe who had threatened his Buffy, and the Triumvirate had been buried under the mountains of guilt he had for what they had done at that period. But all it took was one insulting word and he was turning his back on Buffy, the woman he thought was his soulmate, returning to his childer, that is if Carma would have him.

"Are you guys ready?"

Willow's voice betrayed none of the nervousness the vampires could feel rolling off her in waves. Face resolved, eyes set. Two answering nods and she began.

At first she was muttering under her breath, even the vampires' enhanced hearing could barely make out the words. Gradually though her voice rose, the words, which sounded like a hybrid of Latin and at least one demon dialect, rose to a thundering shout. A small gale rose within the boundary of the sand circle. The watchers could see Spike's duster flapping madly and Carma's hair being blown around her face as though it were a loving thing. Then, with an anticlimactic pop, the wind died down and they disappeared, Willow seemed to collapse as though there were no bones left in her body.

Xander and Kennedy rushed forward, gently lifting the witch and depositing her on the couch. The red head was awake but obviously exhausted, that spell had been harder than the one that called the Triumvirate. That had been set within the town limits, this one had covered the whole planet, and if she was entirely honest she wasn't completely sure that it had worked properly. Not that she was planning on telling anyone else that.

* * *

Meanwhile, half way across the world a cylindrical tower of compressed air blinked into existence, white smudges blurring the surface. Then the misty walls seemed to waver, the condensed gale died down and then disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared. In fact, the only sign that it had ever been there were the two windswept strangers that had been ungracefully deposited in the middle of the dark, dank Parisian alley way. The woman had landed on her back, one arm caught under her, the other at a right angle to her body, her black hair was wrapped around her face, and none of her features were visible. A man with unnaturally blond hair that was wild and curly, like popcorn plastered to a skull, was sprawled across her, the two bodies forming a cross.

They didn't stay that way for long, instead the woman flung the man off her, sending him flying into a wall, and then proceeded to struggle with her face shroud formed of black hair. Once she was free and the man had managed to stand and walk over to her, holding his ribs.

"Paris. The smell never changes."

The woman's nose scrunched up in delicate distaste, while the man just looked amazed, then ecstatic. He actually started to jump up and down, receiving very strange looks from his companion.

"Spike what the bloody hell are you doing?"

Realising that he was making an idiot of himself he'd stopped but he kept running his hands through his hair again and again, head turning from side to side, eyes darting around, thrumming with energy.

"Paris, Carma, we're in Paris!"

"I know that you twit, I'm the one who told you. What the hell is the matter?"

But he'd already run off, leather cat flapping around his legs, a few words came drifting back to his bewildered friend.

"Paris at Christmas Carma, Paris at Christmas."

A change came over her then, the corner of her lips curling up in a smile, and a peal of laughter rang out before she disappeared after her friend. She went past a bundle of rags as she ran, paying not attention to them whatsoever, and so consequently didn't see the grizzly old man wrapped up in them. Grey hair fell wildly to his shoulders in odd patches, bald skull showing in between the islands of hair, eyes watery and yellow, skin red and this, veins and arteries perfectly visible beneath the tissuey material. Gnarled fingers wrapped around a half empty bottle.

"Cela était différent."

And took another swig of whiskey as his gaze followed the path the two had taken, before his eyes swept up to the dominating silhouette of the Eiffel Tower.

I finally updated something! I've had so much to do recently I've neglected all of my stories. But I finally did it! Having said that I hope you actually liked it.

SpikingJennsAngel: hope you liked this chapter too.

Garett: sorry it's been a while.

Scary Vampiress: there'll be lots more tag teaming between the vampires, I hope hope keep liking it.

Vdarkangel88: hope you liked this chapter too.

Please review everyone, I love getting them. :)


	10. Power

Unfortunately all I own is Carma

"There she is."

"Where?"

"There."

Carma followed the pointing finger and found herself looking at her, but not her. The older Carma had practically chopped off all her hair; it fell down to just below her shoulders, dead straight, no waves in it at all, her skin was pale, but not the healthy (albeit dead pale) of the younger Carma, it was the colour the chalk in the South Down back home in England. Carma **always **looked good, not always at the height of fashion, but she made what she had work in a way no one else could. This Carma was shrouded in grey and black sweatshirt material, shoulders hunched, no pride in her stance at all.

While the first Carma was contemplating her otherself's appearance, Spike was heading toward her, slowly, as though he couldn't quite process how she looked. Carma watched as he approached the depressed looking girl, watched as his mouth moved, even her vampiric hearing wasn't able to pick up what he was saying, she could see the reaction though.

While Spike talked the other vampire's head raised, her shoulders straightened, and the air of regal elegance that had pulled so many of her victims to her in ages past filled her again. Although Carma couldn't see it her blue eyes had deepened back to their original silver from a pale grey and they were literally spitting acid. While Spike was still talking Carma watched as the other girl pulled her arm back and let fly! Spike went flying a few feet before crashing into a nearby flower stall.

All motion stopped as the Parisians nearby tried to rationalise what had happened, it wasn't every day a small girl who everyone described as scared of her own shadow sent a full grown, strong looking man flying. Of course it couldn't be rationalised, and that's when pandemonium broke loose. Screams and French curses filled the air as chairs outside cafés went flying as their occupants jumped up and ran. Within five seconds the courtyard beneath the Eiffel Tower was deserted except for the two modern vampires, Spike now on his feet, the two of them shouting and screaming at each other in between kicks and punches, an old man who looked about 90 was passed out on a bench, he hadn't heard anything the whole time, and of course, the other Carma.

The youngest vampire in the square just watched the two in amazement; they were really trying to kill each other. Sure she and Will had spats pretty much every day about pretty much everything, but they never got this bad. She was contemplating whether or not she should intervene or let them work out their frustrations when the sound of police cars approaching, a sound she'd learned very well in her few days in Sunnydale, forced her decision.

A second later saw her pulling Spike away from the other her, and a chalky hand headed at her head. She caught it of course, she might be younger but any fool could see that she was better, this Carma obviously hadn't improved on her skills much in the last hundred or so years.

The oldest Carma was shocked beyond belief, not to mention really pissed off: first Spike of all bloody people shows up, and his first words are, 'we need your help', not a hello, not even a fucking apology for a hundred years of missed Christmas appointments. She'd checked up on him, he'd been spending his time gallivanting around with Drusilla, is 'dark princess', well that was just fine, if he wanted to abandon her he could. But no bloody way was he just going to come up and demand her help; it was just not fucking going to happen. And then she was having a perfectly good time working out al her issues with the jerk when some other vamp breaks in, and tries to crush every single bone in her wrist, at least that's what it felt like. And she looked like her, how she used to look, smelled like her, had the same kind of vamp signature as her, but…oh fuck!…this was not going to be her Christmas.

"Are you two children done playing, or would you like to keep going and have a nice run in with the local constabulary."

In the days since Spike had been reunited with her Carma had looked and sounded like she belonged in the 21st century, so had the other two. But now her stance and voice was that of the wealthy society lady she had acted as in years gone by, regal, authoritative, and never disobeyed.

Carma was met with silence which she took as agreement and not giving the other two any room to argue dragged them down a side alley and into another small courtyard, bathed in shadows and moonlight it had probably been beautiful once, but now statues were broken and shattered, heads separated from bodies, low walls were knocked down. It was a universal sign of humanity, and the First, although now human would ever admit the resemblance, beauty destroyed, taken over, sullied, corrupted. A fitting meeting place for three (two) of the most formidable vampires in history.

"Now Spike, I want you to apologise to her. Do not glare at me, do it!"

After the sullen, muttered apology she repeated her, order, this time to the other her, she took a little longer than Spike, but eventually she got through and seated the two of them a few yards away from each other, and deposited herself in the middle, in case they decided to go for each other again.

"Good children. Now, this is going to get a bit confusing, having two Carma's, so we need to come up with another name for one of us. Probably me as I'm the youngest."

"You're really me aren't you? Me as I used to be."

"Yes I am."

"You should be Destiny then, it's another meaning of karma so it fits really."

Carma had a vaguely slovenly accent, picked up over the years, and as stupid as it seemed it actually pained Destiny to hear the accent she had worked so hard to learn and make her own (she had been a lowly landlords daughter, not nobility like the rest of her vampire family and so to fit in with them and attract a higher class of victim she had to learn the ways of the aristocracy, and it hadn't been easy) pulled to pieces like it was.

"Destiny it is then. Spike did you tell her about the First before you started trying to kill each other."

"I told her during, but I don't think she was listening to me."

"You hand your hands round my neck, of course I wasn't bloody listening to you. And if you don't mind I'd rather stress about my past self being here than you babbling on about the First, instead of even giving me a decent apology."

"What am I supposed to be apologising for?"

"Not turning up!"

"ME! It's not like you were ever there either. It goes two ways you know."

"Well at least I wasn't spending my time prancing about Europe with Drusilla."

"I tried to get away from her, you know…"

"SILENCE"

Destiny's roar ripped the air, and she threw a touch of the Triumvirate's power behind it. The other two vampires may be older, and Master's in their own, but she had the power of the Triumvirate behind her, and she was really mad.

"You two save you silly squabbles for when we get back to Sunnydale and you can have it out with Angel at the same time. Carma I want you to listen to me, alright, because the First is back."

While Spike sat their sulking Destiny explained how they had been pulled out of their time by the First to be on his side, but how Willow had summoned them away from him and now, much to their disgust, they were working with the slayer. Carma was strangely silent when she heard how long Spike had been helping their kind's natural enemy, and when asked if she would return with them she just nodded. The passion came back when Spike stated the proviso:

"There's one condition though. No feeding from humans, Angelus, Will and Car…Destiny have managed, you'll have to as well."

"You bastard. You absolute bloody bastard! I haven't drunk from a human in ages. And it's all your fault."

At the beginning of her tirade she'd got to her feet, looming over Spike who was cringing away from her voice. But at the end she collapsed, hands clasped over her eyes, shoulders shaking with noisy sobs. Destiny wrapped her arms around the other girl, and lifted her eyes to look at Spike, confusion was written over both of their faces.

* * *

"What the hell!"

The three vampires rematerialised in the circle and stared around them in confusion. The extremely crowded living room they'd left a few hours ago had disappeared; in its place was a battle zone. Pale, repulsive, bony Turok-han had invaded the house along with the black robed Bringers; potential slayers were everywhere, some on their own. Those were the ones determined to prove that they were the best and most likely to be called next, the other, more sensible potentials had teamed up and were fighting in groups, protecting each other.

Colin was in the thick of things, he'd picked up a metal staff from somewhere and a group of four potentials, they were surrounded by Bringers and he was yelling out weak points for the girls to aim at. Blasts of light were coming from the kitchen area; obviously the witch had got over her fear of magic. The dark-haired slayer was back to back with Angel's son and the two of them were steadily battering their way through a wall of uber-vamps. The rest of the Scoobies and Angel's gang were scattered around, each busy battling their own minion.

The three newly arrived vampires assimilated the sights that surrounded them in less than a second, but while Carma and Spike were spending precious seconds wondering what was going on, and how the makeshift army had been so overrun, Destiny's eyes had headed for, and found her family. And as soon as she saw them she pounced.

It was obvious to her that the First had launched this attack as a way to take are of the Triumvirate, whether by permanently eliminating them or subduing them and taking them back to the First so that they could be 'brought back into the fold' as it were.

Her lovers were backed into a corner, a dozen vampires and a group of bringers surrounding, piles of dust and bodies showed that they'd already made themselves felt in the ranks of the opposition. But there were so many claws and blades slashing at them in such a confined space that it was impossible for them not to have been hit. They each had cuts scattered all over their bodies, shirt sleeves ripped open, blood gluing the fabric to their torn skin. Will had a vicious gash over his left eye, running through his eyebrow leaving a viscous river of blood dripping in his eye.

Of course they didn't stay like that for long, as soon as Destiny saw them she sprang. Heads flew, literally, as she made her way to their side, pure, undiluted hatred on her face as she decimated the opposing ranks and made her way to her family's sides.

Carma and Spike hadn't stayed still very long, moving through the battle zone like roving patrols, slowly but steadily picking off the opposition.

Over in a corner the Triumvirate stood together again, Destiny's hair was flying all over the place, and a small stream of blood was running down her neck. The two male vampires were ripped to pieces, their clothes torn and their queues in disarray. But there was an awful serenity surrounding them, the Turok-han and Bringers that they had been fighting were slowly backing away. An eerie quiet surrounded them and rippled away. That feeling of power filling every nook and cranny and making everyone stop what they were doing. It wasn't just awe of the power that made them freeze, they physically couldn't move, not a single muscle, it wasn't selective either, good guys and bad guys were frozen alike.

Then the already heavy magic began to glow. That wasn't quite the right word, but it was the closest. Six eyes, brown, blue and silver began to shine a soft, sparkling black, the whites of their eyes were erased, only the blackness was left. Their hands were glowing in the same way, and air molecules surrounding them picked up the unearthly pigmentation, as though the air itself was a very large Dalmatian. Then it began to spread.

The spots in the air lengthened and became ribbons, reaching out from their points near the Triumvirate and stretching around every other body in the place, dead and alive, oily ribbons wrapping around potentials and the other good guys before rejecting them and returning to the bringers and Turok-han.

A complex web was formed, delicate and ethereal, yet stronger than any substance known to life. Not a single unwelcome visitor escaped its clutches.

Although it was probably only a minute and a half it felt like an hour to the frozen potentials, even Spike, Angel and Carma had been captured by the web, and it was bringing up some very disturbing memories for them. About the times they had used this particular magic, and it's explosive results.

Then stage four began, the air began to tighten, pulling on immobile flesh, nearly rending it away from fragile bones. Deep lines began to appear in the arms and necks of the trapped foes. The sound of brittle snapping ripped through the spooky silence and bones an veins were split in half by the inexorable tightening of the ropes. Until they went too tight, and those trapped inside just, exploded.

The sudden burst of sound was horrific, shattering ear drums, followed a split second later by ash and Bringer parts raining down on everyone. Reminding Spike of scenes he'd caught from 'Tremors' when he's been channel hopping one day in his crypt. After the bloody shower finished the houses other occupants were released and the uncanny, silent power dissipated. But there still wasn't any noise, everyone was just staring at the three vampires. Amazed that these three, two of whom the Scoobies had known for a long time and would never have imagined that they had that kind of power. Amazed that after having shown off that power in an amazingly destructive manner the three were just standing there, sniggering, the stares only seeming to encourage them, until full-blown peals of laughter were ringing through the still silent house.

Sorry it's been a while but things have kind of got away from me. Here it is though and I hope you all enjoyed it.

ScaryVampiress: sorry it took me so long, but I hope you liked it.

SpikingJennsAngel: Spike and Angel will get closer but you'll have to wait and see how.

Vdarkangel88: hope you still like it.

Please review everyone :)


	11. Plans in the making

Sorry it's been so long, and i only own Carma, unfortunately.

* * *

"Uh…I don't suppose you could let us out of this could you?"

"Oops…sorry."

The web still holding the other three vampires fell away and immediately dissipated. Carma didn't notice immediately as she was locked in a sort of staring contest with Buffy, blue eyes glaring at silver, malice, and a fair amount of confusion. The slayer honestly couldn't understand why her two pet vamps (not that she would ever admit to calling them that outside of her own head) preferred this girl to her, she wasn't pretty at all! Carma didn't really have any idea what was going on, she'd been pulled out of Paris my the man she'd come there to meet, without any idea that she was actually going to find him. And to top that off he'd bought another her with him, from a time when she was actually worth something. Then she was thrown into the middle of a blood bath, had watched power she once controlled being released and used (in a way) on her, and now some weird blonde kept staring at her who had a very big and very distracting vein throbbing in her forehead.

"That is it! We've had it!"

That was Cordelia, her voice shrill enough to shatter any glass that hadn't already been broken. The rest of the LA gang had gathered behind her, all wearing the same expression, a bloody angry one!

"Don't interfere Rupert, Buffy, this is between Angel and us."

Wesley that time, looking as though he wanted to be wiping his glasses, if he had any of course.

"We need to talk sweetness."

Lorne, blithely ignoring the askance looks being sent his way for calling Angel 'sweetness'.

"Uh oh."

"Someone's in trouble."

William and Destiny sing-songed, smirking at the looks they were getting from their two sires, their doubles, and basically everyone except a few potentials and Colin, who were standing in a little huddle towards the back and grinning.

"Cordy, guys, I don't…"

"Now Angel!"

No one could refuse that glare, not even Angel himself (Angelus might have a shot though).

"While you're doing that," Will's tone said just what he thought of 'that', "we'd better be heading back." Nods of agreement as the three started to back away, "have fun sorting this out won't you."

"See you tomorrow."

Then they just disappeared, one second they were there…then they weren't. They'd grabbed Colin as they went, leaving behind a group of depressed teenagers and scoobies, who'd just come down from the battle high and had realised what the tidying up they were going to have to do, there were the very unhappy LA group, Faith and Connor slinking off heads close together, and Buffy…standing with her arms crossed and bright red lips thinned with a look on her face that really wasn't attractive.

"Angel…"

"Forget it Buffy, we got there first."

Cordelia ruthlessly cut through Buffy and staked her claim on the vampire, not giving anyone a chance to object as she pulled him off down the street, closely followed by the rest of their group, with Faith and Connor trailing behind.

* * *

"Don't you dare Angel! For the last couple of days we've lived through whatever this is, some mid-unlife crisis. But now you are going to stop and you are going to explain before I punch a stake through your heart myself."

Her face was bright red and a vein was throbbing worryingly in her neck, as was another in her forehead.

"The princess is right sweet. We need to talk, not that we're not loving the new, slightly more relaxed you, and hoping for the trend to continue." He skilfully ignored the disgruntled noises from the others and continued. "But that blonde was doing a lot of bitching while you were with your friends earlier, and if you're going to be able to do any good without a few hundred teenage girls in your way, we need some other stories to spread." He paused. "Plus we want to know the gossip."

An unholy gleam entered his eyes, mirrored in Cordelia's, and although she'd never admit it, Faith's, at the prospect of what promised to be some amazing gossip. And the whole crowd settled in, leaving Angel with no thought in his mind that they'd ever let him go before he spilled it all.

* * *

"But I don't want to go back. I don't like me, she's…vulgar. And don't laugh at me you pillock!"

A pillow smothered the offending chuckles, and while Colin helped William, Angelus dealt with the upset Destiny.

"We don't know what happened sweetheart, from what you told us she's had a hard time since everyone split up. She probably has her reasons, besides it doesn't matter we're going back and we're going to change it. Aren't we?"

"Course we are luv, stop worrying about a pathetic imitation of you that won't exist in a couple of weeks. We're going to make all of this better, remember the plan."

Will's arm twined around her waist and he stretched out between them, sending sinuous muscles rippling in his bare torso.

"I remember."

"That's my girl.

And where are you sneaking off too lad. You're part of this family and you have to help in developing strategies, we want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Absolutely."

"Amen to that."

Colin halted where he was in the doorway and slunk back to the bed occupied by the three reclining vampires. A shy smile broke out on his face as he was welcomed into the circle.

"Carma and I came up with a sort of plan when we were in Paris."

The two younger vampires leant back automatically before the growl emanating from their sire.

"Why do you only ever come up with half a plan? How are you going to cope when you're in a situation and I'm not there?"

"We're not going to cope, you must have noticed that."

Will's impudent remark and cheeky grin earned him two laughs and a cuff round the ear.

"All right then," Angelus heaved a long suffering sigh, "what's your 'sort of plan'?"

The rest of the day was spent tossing ideas around, and by the time the sunset they had a plan that they were going to go with. Despite any objections raised by a certain blond bitch, objections raised purely for the sake of objecting.

* * *

I'm so sorry to everyone who's read this, but I had exams and then my family decided to try and win free entrance to a lunatic asylum, god I always knew they were mad but this was going to extremes, then my laptop and all the work on it just kind of fizzled up and died so I had to try and get all that back. And I'm really, really, really sorry but please read and review people :)

Mystiksnake: glad you like it and sorry it's been so long but everything got hectic and I ran out of time.

Vdarkangel88: hope you like this too; sorry it's been so long.

Scary Vampiress: hope you liked this one too, and I'm soooo sorry it's been so long but everything went a bit…peculiar for a while.


	12. Discussions

All I own is Carma, and I'm so so so sorry it's been this long, I just got caught up in school stuff and everything else, sorry.

* * *

"EEEwwww! That's disgusting!" 

One of the potentials, a blonde haired, blue eyed Southern Belle (who matched the stereotype image perfectly), squealed in disgust as she did a weird little hop over to the flaming bonfire with a severed arm held gingerly in he fingers of one hand.

After the battle had ended and everyone turned to the task of clearing up, Giles had decided that they might as well build a bonfire to get rid of all the Bringer remnants (and various bits of broken furniture) instead of just burying them, Sunnydale was basically empty now anyway so it wasn't as though anyone would really notice. As Sarah (another potential) had pointed out while building the fire, there was something very dispiriting about digging a grave for the enemy troops.

While Giles was supervising cleanup with the majority of the girls helping out, Xander had grabbed a smaller group to help board up windows, reattach doors and patch up floors. That accounted for everyone except Willow, Dawn and two other girls. The red-headed witch had hustled her little band off to research the power of the Triumvirate, and what kind of magic made up that web they'd used.

Buffy was standing off in a corner, glaring at anyone who tried to talk to her, Xander had tried and returned to the main group with pinched lips and murder in his eyes, and when Giles asked what she'd said, he'd mumbled something indecipherable and hurried over to his repair crew. After that everyone had left her alone. Spike and the second Carma had disappeared as well, Giles had seen them wandering into the back garden and, against Xander's advice, had decided to leave them there. If these vampires were truly going to help then they would have to sort their issues out. Besides, not that he would ever admit this to anyone, but he had grown vaguely fond of Spike, if only because it was a nice feeling to have another Englishman around in the midst of all these bloody Americans.

If he was perfectly honest with himself Giles might admit that he was actually glad Buffy was staying out of the way. He had been…disturbed…at her reaction to Colin, and Carma come to that. He would be the first to admit that he was uncomfortable with all these vampires, if that was a strong enough word. He didn't like having Angel around after what he'd done to Jenny, and having the original Angelus around seemed exceptionally dangerous considering the number of girls they had around, and that's not counting the fact that they were future slayers. And obviously that concern carried over to William and Carma, he'd read a little about the Triumvirate once, years ago, but he did remember the tales of slaughter that followed in their wake, but Buffy's reaction to the female vampire had seemed more like a jealous girl than a responsible slayer, or even a mature woman. And the callousness she had directed at Colin, not even considering giving him a second chance, despite the chances she had given Willow and Angel and Spike, all of whom had killed at least once, and tried to end the world, had been most unlike the Buffy he thought he knew.

The Watcher alternated his gaze between the sullen slayer and the squealing Southern potential, who was now surrounded by other girls who were either giggling and helping her or laughing and making fun of her. Bella was one of several girls who were completely unsuited for this kind of life, even more so than Buffy had been. Watching them made a little bit of his heart wrinkle and fade, though he had had doubts about Buffy he had been able to see the fire and steel in her, but Bella and those like her just didn't belong in this fight.

* * *

In the back garden, which was miraculously unscathed compared to the front, Carma and Spike had deposited themselves against the fence; far enough away from each other that Carma felt comfortable, close enough that Spike could believe that this was actually happening. 

They'd been listening to the sounds from the front of the house for a while, but they hadn't said anything to each other. The silence was thick, deafening, and extremely uncomfortable. Spike didn't really want to say anything, knowing that however tactful it sounded in his head it would come out the exact opposite, and probably make her give him another black eye.

"What did you mean when you said you hadn't drunk human blood for ages?"

Bloody hell! Should have just kept his mouth shut and waited for her to talk. Her face got even paler, and her features pinched with fury, but she didn't let fly like she always used to at an insensitive question (and that was one alteration he could live with).

"I presume you remember the bonds between the Triumvirate that linked us together, so we could hear each other think and feel what each other felt."

Ouch. That wasn't a joke; she really did think he'd forgotten. He would have corrected her on that, _strenuously_, but she carried on before he could.

"Well when Angel left do you remember we both felt something happen to him, when the gypsies gave him his soul, and that something changed in us.

Anyway, when you left…with Drusilla…looking after her blocked everything else out, me and him, including that change. But nothing happened to me…it was a bit of our souls coming back, not everything but through the connection a part of the curse reflected on us. So I felt it, not much, but enough…and then I couldn't find either of you to talk to. I didn't drink as much from humans after that. But you're the one that put me off the stuff altogether. Unlike some people I remembered the Triumvirate, and I still felt the two of you, even if it was only one way. So when you _asked _for your soul back, it came through to me in full, I think that was because it wasn't a curse, if it had been unwilling only a bit more would have come through. But I got the full deal, just like you two."

Huh. He wasn't expecting that. Wasn't entirelysure what he was expecting. But it wasn't that. Spike, the fearsome William the Bloody, opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish several times before settling on a wonderfully succinct "sorry", as his response. He didn't even hear the mumbled 'of course you are'. Angel had been cursed with his soul, it had been a punishment, he had asked for his soul back, but she hadn't done anything. She shouldn't have had to go through that pain…that unimaginable, heartbreaking pain, coupled with the voices of every meal…not alone for no reason. He wasn't going to pretend he was sorry she had her soul; he could have lived with her feeding on humans if he had to, she was worth anything, and Angel could have coped too, but the way it had been returned to her…bloody fucking hell! And the worst thing, it was still all Angelus's bloody fault, it was always his fault, all the way down the bloody fucking centuries everything was always his fault!

* * *

The Angel Investigations gang had set up camp in another garden further down the road; Angel had been seated on a lawn chair, surrounded by Cordelia, Lorne, Fred, Gunn and Wesley, Faith and Connor where off on the fringes. On the edge seemed to be their permanent home these days, but at least it wasn't in the psychotic way this time, and they just worked on the principle that at least they weren't alone anymore. 

The scene had been set up as a proper inquisition. Cordelia had realised the value of height and shoved Angel on the chair while all the others towered over and around him. For a big, bad vampire, the terror of the LA underworld, he seemed very nervous all of a sudden. There had been lots of breaks and hitches in his story, he'd frequently broken eye contact and spent a few minutes telling his story to the grass and his shoes.

"Let me get this straight. When you were a vampire you turned Spike and this Carma girl, the three of you had seriously dysfunctional parental slash sibling relationship that resulted in the Triumvirate, one of the most powerful forces_ ever!_ Then you got a soul and everything went to hell and you all split up and didn't think you'd see each other again, until now."

It was quite disturbing to be on the end of Cordelia's look, but somehow Angel managed to look her in the eye, and confirm that yes, that was a very simplistic description of events.

The group had spent the last twenty minutes listening to Angel tell his story (or bullying him into telling it, however you wanted to look at it), Wesley had been oohing and aahing over his mentions of the Triumvirate, a power that wasn't described clearly anywhere, even in the Watchers diaries, Fred and Lorne had been getting teary-eyed over his mentions of infinite love (until he went and ruined it, then they got mad at him and took Carma and William's side). Cordelia and Gunn had been the ones pushing him to complete the story, they were the ones who were…angry was the wrong word, but it was something like that. Cordy felt it because she considered herself and Angel close friends, she was the one who'd been with him the entire time in LA, and she'd known him in Sunnydale, she understood that this was hard but he could have at least _mentioned it!_ What about all they went through with Darla, he could have brought it up but no! Gunn was mad simply because…well…he wasn't exactly sure, but he'd got used to Angel being Angel, he accepted the existence of Angelus, it was hard not to all things considered. But these other two, and the Triumvirate, that was a whole other league, he'd flicked through something about the Triumvirate once while he was waiting for Wesley at his place. There wasn't much, according to Wes, who apparently had made it a hobby over the years, not much had ever been known about them, but what was known wasn't all happiness and light, and he had a very bad feeling about what was to come after this. Gunn had seen the looks Angelus and William had sent towards Angel, no way they were gonna let things stay the same, not if they had any choice in the matter, not if he was any judge of character (which he was).

Faith and Connor had split off a little way after hearing the bulk of Angel's story, leaving the others to wrangle the unimportant details between them.

"What's the matter with you? We've got what'll probably end up being the fight of out lives on our hands and you're looking depressed."

On a scale of one to ten it was about a two in effectively cheering him up. But the fact that she was trying made the boy smile a bit, not much though. They were leaning against the wall of the house, shoulders touching, almost leaning on each other for support in this _very_ unfriendly environment.

"I'm being stupid."

His words were clipped, punctuated by a backwards kick on the well. Faith however seemed to take it all in stride.

"Probably. But everyone's entitled to be stupid at least once a day, or so my therapist told me." Again she got a small smile.

"I just go used to him being him," there was no need to ask who 'him' was, "then this happens and then Angelus is here as well and I always though they were the same, then I started thinking they weren't, and at first they weren't but then he threw Buffy across a room so maybe he is and there's three of them and that's just a weird thing to picture about your father and there's so much and I can't cope!"

"Wow. All in one breath."

That was all the response Faith gave, except for shuffling a bit closer to Connor, a feeling of human comfort.

"Just let it go Connor, all of it, I know everything about your life so far has been fucked up, but if you don't let if go it'll eat you inside and then you'll never move on from it. My childhood may not have been as fucked as yours, but I held onto and look where it got me."

Connor lifted the corner of his mouth in what could have been construed as a smile, and made a noise that could have been agreement.

"After this," he took a deep breath, nervous about what he was going to say, "what if the two of us went travelling, get away from all of this screwed up stuff in LA, and here."

"Alright," a brief grin at him as neither were entirely comfortable with whatever it was they were feeling right now, "but lets get out of this mess alive first."

Connor grinned, nervousness gone, agitation over his father pushed to the back of his mind, for the moment, "Deal."

* * *

I am so sorry, really, I've had this chapter on the go for ages but there was school stuff and revision and exams and a load of other stuff and I'm so so sorry! 

Scary Vampiress: glad you like it, hope you like this one too. Sorry it's been so long, things just got a bit out of hand, and I had a bit of writer's block as well and so I couldn't think of what to write in the spare time I had.

SpikingJennsAngel: sorry it's been so long, hope you like this chapter.

Vdarkangel88: hope you like this chapeter, sorry it's taken so long.

Vuzznut: sorry it's been so long, hope you like this chapter too.

Please review everyone, and I will update sooner this time, honest.


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